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Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Brings Approx. R672-million Into The City

With approximately three weeks until the 48th edition of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, the Two Oceans Marathon NPC has confirmed that the event has brought approximately R672-million into the City of Cape Town and Western Cape Region in 2016.

This significant economic injection into the City and region makes the OMTOM the largest running event on the African continent.

The event's economic impact was calculated in an independent study in 2016, which was done after the Western Cape Government appointed the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch, together with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, to collectively develop a standardised framework to measure, monitor and manage the impacts of events events in the Western Cape.

"The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon is not just a celebration of running; it is also a celebration of Cape Town and all that the Mother City has to offer," says Carol Vosloo, General Manager of the Two Oceans Marathon NPC.

"Two thirds of the Ultra Marathon field alone come from outside of the Western Cape, and we attract an increasing number of international runners to the race year on year. These runners arrive with friends and family, and the City enjoys an estimated influx of approx. 100,000 visitors over Race Week."

The study also shows that visitors spend a few days in Cape Town, and make the most of the experience by travelling to and enjoying other attractions in the wider region - positively contributing to local businesses, restaurants and hotels.

"The OMTOM is also a driver for job creation, skills development and skills transfer within the B-BBEE framework," adds Ms Vosloo. "In 2016, 685 permanent, and over 16,000 temporary jobs were created in the run-up to the event. Many of these employees received training to perform their duties, which will stand them in good stead for future employment."

The OMTOM has come a long way since 26 runners lined up at the start in 1970. With entries selling out in record time in recent years, 2017 will once again feature more than 30,000 runners from around the world participating in the various events on offer on Race Weekend.

THE OMTOM BY NUMBERS

Looking back at 2016:

50,000: Visitors to the OMTOM Expo

Over 100,000: Visitors to Cape Town

79: Countries represented in the 2016 OMTOM

685: Permanent jobs created

Over 16,000: Temporary jobs created in the month leading up to Race Day

2,4 million: Viewers of the live broadcast on SABC 2

R60-million: Ad value equivalent of social media coverage received in 2016

R53-million: Ad value equivalent of print and broadcast media coverage received in 2016

R3-million: Amount runners raised for charity

Approx. R672-million: Economic impact produced by the event in 2016

Looking ahead at 2017:

11,000: Ultra Marathon runners

16,000: Half Marathon runners

1,000: Trail runners

Over 5,000: Fun runners

1,000: International Friendship Run participants

Over 25 000: Number of people who entered into the Half Marathon ballot for a place at the start line. The ballot applications process was put in place to deal with the high demand for Half Marathon entries.

86: Countries represented in the 2017 OMTOM

Over 3,000: International entries in 2017

835: Running clubs represented in 2017

85: Age of oldest entrant in this year's race

300: Underprivileged runners residing in the Runners' Village

90,000: Litres of water consumed on Race Day

40,000: Litres of Coke consumed on Race Day

18,000: Litres of Powerade consumed on Race Day

R1,8-million: Total prize money paid out to the top men and women in the Ultra and Half Marathons

R1-million: Prize Bonus from Old Mutual for the athletes that breaks the men's or women's Ultra record.

"The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon takes great pride in attracting thousands of runners from a broad spectrum of society and socio-economic groups," notes Ms Vosloo.

"It is therefore befitting that our theme is Run As One. In running, the road is the greatest equaliser. And whether you work in a mine or run a corporate giant, it is ultimately your training that sets you apart when you run towards the finish line on Race Day."

The 2017 Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon, comprising the 48th Ultra Marathon and 20th Half Marathon, takes place on 15 April 2017.

Broadcast partner SABC 2 will provide live coverage of the OMTOM between 05h30 and 13h30. The event will also be live-streamed via SABC2 on the OMTOM website, with various live crossings on a number of SABC radio stations on Facebook.

It is the 18th year that Old Mutual is the title sponsor of the event. Other major partners include adidas, Powerade, and the City of Cape Town.

It is anticipated that the 2017 OMTOM will once again make a significant economic impact on the City.